MOSCOW. Mar 5 (Interfax) - A Sukhoi Su-27 took off to intercept French warplanes in the Black Sea region on Tuesday.
"On March 5, 2024, Russian airspace control systems detected three airborne targets flying over the Black Sea in the direction of the Russian state border," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet from the on-duty air defense forces was scrambled, it said.
One E-3F long-range radar and control aircraft and two multipurpose Rafale C fighters of the French Air Force were approaching Russian borders, it said.
"At the sight of the approaching Russian fighter jet, the foreign warplanes turned away from the Russian state border and left the airspace over the Black Sea," it said.
"The Russian plane returned safely to its base airport. There was no violation of the Russian state border," the Defense Ministry said.